Bag container

ABSTRACT

A bag container includes a synthetic-resin container body shaped by using a mold and including a body portion including a bottom portion and a spout-forming portion. A spout is formed by tearing an easy-to-tear portion of the spout-forming portion and removing a to-be-torn-off portion. The spout-forming portion is provided projecting upward, perpendicular to a placing surface formed by the bottom portion, from the body portion. An opening tab piece including an engagement hole with which the ball of a finger is to engage is provided projecting on one side of the spout-forming portion. The engagement hole has a shape that guides the finger such that, when the easy-to-tear portion is to be torn, the ball of the finger engages with a circumferential edge portion of the engagement hole from the inner side thereof while being oriented toward the circumferential direction centering about an end of the easy-to-tear portion.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a bag container made by shaping itssynthetic-resin container body by using a mold.

BACKGROUND ART

There are heretofore known bag containers, such as self-standing bags,that are made by shaping using a mold, such as by blow molding, to havea body portion including a bottom portion and a spout-forming portion,and can be placed on a surface-to-be-placed using the bottom portion asa placing surface. With such a bag container, the spout-forming portionis cut open to form a spout, and the enclosed contents are poured outfrom the spout.

In such containers, using a knife or scissors, for example, for cuttingthe spout-forming portion would be inconvenient and troublesome tounaccustomed users. In view of such circumstances, there have beendisclosed blow-molded containers that have an annular easy-to-tearportion constituted of a thin portion to be torn or a narrow groove-likedepression provided on the spout-forming portion along with a tab piece,to facilitate the operation of opening and forming the spout by allowingthe easy-to-tear portion to be torn by being ripped away or torn off(see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid Open JP-A-2004-59141 andJapanese Patent Laid Open JP-A-2007-91259).

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a bag container including asynthetic-resin container body shaped by using a mold and having a bodyportion including a bottom portion and a spout-forming portion. A spoutis formed by tearing an easy-to-tear portion of the spout-formingportion to tear off a to-be-torn-off portion thereof. The spout-formingportion has a central axis that is perpendicular or substantiallyperpendicular to a placing surface formed by the bottom portion, and isprovided projecting upward from the body portion. An opening tab portionhaving an engagement hole or an engagement depression with which theball of a finger is to engage is provided on the to-be-torn-off portionprojecting on one side, with respect to the central axis of thespout-forming portion, toward a side surface of the body portion. Theengagement hole or the engagement depression has a shape that guides thefinger in such a manner that, when the easy-to-tear portion is to betorn, the ball of the finger engages with a circumferential edge portionof the engagement hole or the engagement depression while being orientedtoward a substantially circumferential direction centering about an endof the easy-to-tear portion located on an opposite side, with respect tothe central axis, from the side toward which the opening tab portionprojects.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1( a) is a front view of a bag container according to a preferredfirst embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1( b) is a side view, viewing FIG. 1( a) from the right-hand side.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a primary section of the bag containeraccording to the preferred first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a primary section of a bag container accordingto a preferred second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4( a) is a front view illustrating an example of another shape ofan engagement hole or an engagement depression provided in an openingtab portion.

FIG. 4( b) is a front view illustrating an example of another shape ofan engagement hole or an engagement depression provided in the openingtab portion.

FIG. 4( c) is a front view illustrating an example of another shape ofan engagement hole or an engagement depression provided in the openingtab portion.

FIG. 4( d) is a front view illustrating an example of another shape ofan engagement hole or an engagement depression provided in the openingtab portion.

FIG. 4( e) is a front view illustrating an example of another shape ofan engagement hole or an engagement depression provided in the openingtab portion.

FIG. 5( a) is a front view of a bag container according to a preferredthird embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5( b) is a side view, viewing FIG. 5( a) from the right-hand side.

FIG. 6 is a front view of a primary section of the bag containeraccording to the preferred third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line of FIG. 5(a).

FIG. 8( a) is an enlarged plan view viewing, from above, ato-be-torn-off portion of the bag container illustrated in FIG. 5( a).

FIG. 8( b) is a cross-sectional view taken along line Y-Y of FIG. 6.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The blow-molded container of JP-A-2004-59141 has a pair ofadjacently-provided tab pieces sandwiching an annular groove(easy-to-tear portion) in a neck portion (spout-forming portion) fromabove and below. Holding each of the upper and lower tab pieces andapplying a force in the parting direction, for example, will tear apartthe annular groove, thus opening and forming a spout. JP-A-2004-59141also discloses a container that has a tab piece provided above theannular groove in the neck portion and having a round hole for placingthe finger. While the container is being placed in an upright state, thetab piece is pinched to tear apart the annular groove.

However, in the blow-molded container of JP-A-2004-59141 having theupper and lower tab pieces sandwiching the annular groove, the tabpieces are difficult to hold because the upper and lower tab pieces areprovided close to one another. Further, these tab pieces have asubstantially smooth surface, which makes it difficult to determine theoptimum direction for applying the force for tearing away the annulargroove, thus making it quite likely that the operation of opening thecontainer is performed while the container is being lifted. This makesthe container unstable, and also gives rise to the possibility that thecontainer may swing around due to the force upon opening and thecontents may spill. Further, even with the container including the tabpiece having the round finger-placing hole, the round finger-placinghole will not help to determine the optimum direction for applying theforce for tearing away the annular groove. Rather, the tab piece havingthe round finger-placing hole is prone to be pulled directly upward,which makes it difficult for the pulling-up force to be efficientlytransmitted as the force for tearing away the annular groove. Thus, thecontainer often requires additional movement, such as twisting of thewrist, in addition to involving the above-mentioned problems.

Further, with the blow-molded container of JP-A-2004-59141, there areinstances in which the bottom portion of the container is pressed downagainst the surface-to-be-placed while holding the neck portion or thelower tab piece below the annular groove, and in this state, the annulargroove is torn away by pulling up the upper tab piece. In this case,however, the pressing-down force is applied in a direction substantiallyalong the axial direction of the neck portion and thus cannoteffectively oppose the momental force produced upon pulling the uppertab piece upward, resulting in lack of stability upon opening.

Meanwhile, the bag container disclosed in JP-A-2007-91259 also allows aspout to be formed by cutting off a to-be-torn-off portion located in aregion more toward the tip end than the easy-to-tear portion of thespout-forming portion. In order to facilitate the tearing operation forforming the spout, cave-in portions or bulged portions are formednon-consecutively on the to-be-torn-off portion in the circumferentialdirection of the spout-forming portion.

However, according to the bag container disclosed in JP-A-2007-91259,forming the cave-in portions or bulged portions makes the interior shapeof the to-be-torn-off portion complicated, which tends to cause liquidto accumulate inside the to-be-torn-off portion. The accumulation ofliquid is caused by splashing or scattering of the content liquid due tovibrations upon distribution. Accumulation of liquid inside theto-be-torn-off portion may in turn cause the liquid inside theto-be-torn-off portion to scatter onto the surroundings upon tearing theeasy-to-tear portion and opening the spout.

The present invention relates to a bag container that, upon placing theball of a finger in engagement with an engagement hole or an engagementdepression provided in a tab portion of a spout-forming portion andpulling the tab portion upward, allows the pulling-up force to betransmitted efficiently as a force for tearing an easy-to-tear portionand thereby allows the operation of opening and forming a spout to beperformed easily and smoothly.

Further, the present invention relates to a bag container that allowsthe operation of holding and pulling upward a tab portion provided on aspout-forming portion and thereby opening and forming a spout to beperformed in a stable state with the bottom portion being pressedagainst a surface-to-be-placed.

Furthermore, the present invention relates to a bag container that, upontearing, such as by ripping away or tearing away, an easy-to-tearportion of a spout-forming portion to form an opening, preventsstretching of the to-be-torn-off portion etc. and facilitates thetearing operation for forming the opening, and that also reduces thetendency for contents, such as liquid, to accumulate inside theto-be-torn-off portion as well as provides good moldability using amold.

The present invention relates to a bag container including asynthetic-resin container body shaped by using a mold and having a bodyportion including a bottom portion and a spout-forming portion. A spoutis formed by tearing an easy-to-tear portion of the spout-formingportion to tear off a to-be-torn-off portion thereof. The spout-formingportion has a central axis that is perpendicular or substantiallyperpendicular to a placing surface formed by the bottom portion, and isprovided projecting upward from the body portion. An opening tab portionhaving an engagement hole or an engagement depression with which theball of a finger is to engage is provided on the to-be-torn-off portionprojecting on one side, with respect to the central axis of thespout-forming portion, toward a side surface of the body portion. Theengagement hole or the engagement depression has a shape that guides thefinger in such a manner that, when the easy-to-tear portion is to betorn, the ball of the finger engages with a circumferential edge portionof the engagement hole or the engagement depression while being orientedtoward a substantially circumferential direction centering about an endof the easy-to-tear portion located on an opposite side, with respect tothe central axis, from the side toward which the opening tab portionprojects.

Further, it is preferable that in the bag container of the presentinvention, a holding tab portion is provided on a shoulder of the bodyportion on the side toward which the opening tab portion projects, theholding tab portion projecting upward while being spaced apart from thespout-forming portion.

Furthermore, it is preferable that in the bag container of the presentinvention, the to-be-torn-off portion is provided with a flat-shapeddome portion having a cavity inside, the opening tab portion is providedprojecting on one side, with respect to the central axis of thespout-forming portion, toward the side surface of the body portion andis provided in a connected manner to a top surface of the dome portion,and a portion of the opening tab portion that is provided in a connectedmanner to the top surface of the dome portion constitutes a connectionbase portion having a cavity portion.

A bag container 10 according to a preferred first embodiment of thepresent invention illustrated in FIGS. 1( a) and 1(b) is shaped byemploying blow molding, such as direct blow molding or injection blowmolding, as the “shaping using a mold”. Further, the bag container 10 ofthe present first embodiment is used as a refill bag container thatcontains, for example, a liquid agent—particularly, a shampoo, a bodywash, a liquid detergent, a cleaning agent, etc.—as its contents in anenclosed state and that is opened upon use for refilling anothercontainer with the contents. Further, the bag container 10 of thepresent first embodiment has a structure that allows the operation ofcutting a portion of a spout-forming portion 13 provided projectingoutward from a body portion 12 of a container body 11 and therebyopening and forming a spout to be performed easily and smoothly in astable state.

The bag container 10 of the present first embodiment is a self-standablebag container including a synthetic-resin container body 11 shaped byusing a mold and having a body portion 12 including a bottom portion 14and a spout-forming portion 13, and a spout is formed by tearing aneasy-to-tear portion 15 of the spout-forming portion 13 and removing ato-be-torn-off portion 16 located in a region more toward the tip endthan the easy-to-tear portion 15. The spout-forming portion 13 has acentral axis that is perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to aplacing surface P1, and is provided projecting upward (for example, in adirection that becomes the vertically-upward direction when thecontainer is placed on a horizontal surface with its bottom portion 14down) from the body portion 12. Further, also as illustrated in FIG. 2,an opening tab piece 17, serving as an opening tab portion, having anengagement hole 24 with which the ball of a finger is to engage isprovided on the to-be-torn-off portion 16, projecting on one side, withrespect to the central axis X of the spout-forming portion 13, toward aside surface of the body portion 12 (in the present embodiment, on theright-hand side with respect to the central axis X of the spout-formingportion of FIG. 2). The engagement hole 24 has a shape that can guidethe finger in such a manner that, when the easy-to-tear portion 15 is tobe torn, the ball of the finger engages with a circumferential edgeportion 24 a of the engagement hole 24 from the inner side thereof whilebeing oriented toward a circumferential direction L that is within avirtual plane including the opening tab portion (opening tab piece 17)and that centers about an end 15 a of the easy-to-tear portion 15located on the opposite side, with respect to the central axis X of thespout-forming portion 13, from the side toward which the opening tabpiece 17 projects (in other words, oriented in a direction Z thatintersects, perpendicularly or substantially perpendicularly, with anaxis Y connecting the end 15 a and the center of the engagement hole orthe engagement depression).

Further, in the present first embodiment, the opening tab piece 17 isprovided projecting obliquely upward at an angle of inclination θ of 5to 35 degrees with respect to a plane P2 including the easy-to-tearportion 15 and parallel to the placing surface P1. Further, thecircumferential edge portion 24 a of the engagement hole 24 with whichthe ball of a finger is to engage is a portion that intersects with adirection perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to theobliquely-upward projecting direction Y (i.e., that intersects with theminor-axis direction Z of the elliptical shape in cases where theengagement hole 24 has an elliptical shape). Furthermore, the engagementhole 24 has an elliptical shape, and its minor-axis direction Z isprovided along the circumferential direction L centering about the end15 a of the easy-to-tear portion 15. That is, the minor-axis direction Zsubstantially coincides with the tangential direction of thecircumferential direction L.

In the present first embodiment, the synthetic-resin container body 11is formed, preferably by blow molding, into a shape that has a bodyportion 12 including a bottom portion 14 and the spout-forming portion13. Various known molding techniques, such as direct blow molding orinjection blow molding, may be adopted for blow molding.

Further, it is possible to adopt, as the synthetic-resin material forforming the container body 11, a single layer of, for example, a softsynthetic-resin material including a polyolefin-based resin, such asLDPE (low-density polyethylene), L-LDPE (linear low-densitypolyethylene) and OPP (oriented polypropylene), or a polyester-basedresin such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate). It is also possible toadopt laminated resins obtained by laminating the above syntheticresin(s) and other synthetic resin(s). For example, it is possible toadopt a laminated resin employing LDPE or L-LDPE for its inner layer andHDPE (high-density polyethylene) for its outer layer. Further, it isalso possible to adopt a resin obtained by laminating EVOH resin(ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin), EVA resin (ethylene-vinylacetate copolymer resin), nylon resin, etc., or a blended resin obtainedby blending resins, such as EVA, EVOH, and nylon, with another resinsuch as PE (polyethylene).

According to the present first embodiment, blow molding using theabove-described synthetic-resin material(s) allows the side edges of thefront portion 12A and the side edges of the back portion 12B to becontiguous via a parting lines 21 of the mold sandwiched in between, inthe cross section traversing the body portion 12. This provides the bodyportion 12 of the container body 11 which has a hollow cross-sectionalshape having either an elliptical shape or a rectangular shape withrounded corner and also has a flat shape that is broad when viewed fromthe front or the rear and narrow when viewed from the side. Further,through the blow molding, the container body 11 is formed so that thelower edge of the body portion 12 is integrally formed with the bottomportion 14, and into such a shape that the upper portion of the bodyportion 12 is gradually tapered, forming the shoulder 19 and that thespout-forming portion 13 projects upward from the central portion of theshoulder 19 as a mouth/neck portion.

The body portion 12 and the bottom portion 14 of the synthetic-resincontainer body 11 are preferably molded to a thickness of 100 μm orabove in order to ensure a stable self-standing ability. Further, it ispreferable to mold the body portion 12 and the bottom portion 14 to athickness of, for example, 700 μm or below, and more preferably, athickness of 500 μm or below, in order to provide suitable flexibility,allow squashing, folding, and/or bending, and allow the container bodyto be substantially flattened.

In the present first embodiment, the spout-forming portion 13 projectingupward from the central portion of the shoulder 19 of the body portion12 includes a base portion 20, and a to-be-torn-off portion 16 that isprovided in a connected manner to the upper end of the base portion 20via an easy-to-tear portion 15 and that closes off the upper-end opening(the spout) of the base portion 20. The base portion 20 is shapedgenerally like a hollow truncated cone that gradually tapers toward thetip end, and is provided projecting upward from the shoulder 19 of thebody portion 12, with its central axis X oriented in a directionperpendicular to the placing surface P1.

Further, in the present first embodiment, the easy-to-tear portion 15that has a narrow groove-like depression formed annularly around theouter circumferential surface of the spout-forming portion 13 sectionsthe spout-forming portion 13 into the base portion 20 below theeasy-to-tear portion 15 and the to-be-torn-off portion 16 thereabove.The bag container 10 is brought to an opened state from its sealed stateby tearing off the to-be-torn-off portion 16, which is located in aregion more toward the tip end than the easy-to-tear portion 15, fromthe base portion 20 to form a spout.

Herein, the narrow groove-like depression constituting the easy-to-tearportion 15 is formed of a narrow groove having, for example, asubstantially V-shaped cross-sectional shape and preferably along aplane P2 that is parallel to the placing surface P1 formed by the bottomportion 14. Further, it is preferable that the deepest portion of thenarrow groove-like depression, or the portion thereof where the twosurfaces forming the groove intersect with one another, is made thin tofacilitate tearing.

The to-be-torn-off portion 16, which is provided in a connected mannerto the upper end of the base portion 20 via the easy-to-tear portion 15,has a disk-like shape and closes off the spout by being arranged so asto cover the upper-end opening (the spout) of the base portion 20 andbeing integrally molded with the base portion 20 and the easy-to-tearportion 15. An opening tab piece 17 having an engagement hole 24 isprovided in a connected manner to and integrally molded with the uppersurface of the to-be-torn-off portion 16. The opening tab piece 17 isprovided on one side with respect to the central axis X of thespout-forming portion 13, extending in the diametral direction of aplane along the parting line 21 of the mold for molding (i.e., in thedirection of the side edge of the front portion 12A or the back portion12B). Herein, the “plane along the parting line 21” is a virtual planeincluding the parting line 21.

In the present first embodiment, the opening tab piece 17 is a portionfunctioning as the opening tab portion for tearing open the easy-to-tearportion 15. The opening tab piece 17 has a flat plate-like shape, andhas a joint base-end portion 22, and a substantially oval-shapedoverhanging engagement portion 23 that is provided projecting from thejoint base-end portion 22 on one side with respect to the central axis Xof the spout-forming portion 13, a portion of the overhanging engagementportion 23 overlapping with the spout-forming portion 13 being cut away.

The joint base-end portion 22 is a portion that is joined in a connectedmanner along the outer circumferential surface of the to-be-torn-offportion 16, and the section connected to the upper surface of theto-be-torn-off portion 16 is made into a thick stepped portion 22 a.Providing the thick stepped portion 22 a at the section of the jointbase-end portion 22 continuous with the upper surface of theto-be-torn-off portion 16 effectively reinforces the section joined andconnected to the to-be-torn-off portion 16. This allows the pulling-upload exerted upon pulling the opening tab piece 17 upward to tear theeasy-to-tear portion 15 to be efficiently transmitted, as a compressiveload, to a portion of the to-be-torn-off portion 16 located on theopposite side, with respect to the central axis X of the spout-formingportion 13, from the side toward which the overhanging engagementportion 23 projects. As a result, tearing can be initiated from an end15 b of the easy-to-tear portion 15 located on the side toward which theoverhanging engagement portion 23 projects with respect to the centralaxis X of the spout-forming portion 13, while utilizing as a fulcrum theend 15 a of the easy-to-tear portion 15 located on the opposite side,with respect to the central axis X of the spout-forming portion 13, fromthe side toward which the overhanging engagement portion 23 projects,thus making it possible to tear the easy-to-tear portion 15 moresmoothly.

The overhanging engagement portion 23 is a portion provided to projectfrom the joint base-end portion 22 in such a manner as to overhang theupper area of the shoulder 19 of the container body 11, and its outercircumferential edge is formed as a thick rim portion 23 a. Further, theoverhanging engagement portion 23 has an elliptical engagement hole 24opened in a portion on the tip-end side of the overhang, thecircumferential edge of the opening of the engagement hole 24 beingrimmed by a thick rim portion 24 b.

Further, in the present embodiment, the elliptical engagement hole 24 isarranged so that its minor-axis direction Z is substantially along thecircumferential direction L centering about the end 15 a, whichfunctions as the fulcrum of the easy-to-tear portion 15. In other words,the minor axis of the elliptical engagement hole 24 is an axis thatsubstantially coincides with a tangent of the circumference of a circlecentering about the end 15 a. Accordingly, at the time of performing theoperation of inserting a finger into the engagement hole 24 forengagement therewith and pulling up the first tab piece 17, the ball ofthe finger can press against a portion 24 z of the engagement hole 24where the curve is gentlest (i.e., an intersection point between theminor-axis direction Z and the inner circumferential surface of thethick rim portion 24 a), and while doing so, a force can be appliedeasily in the circumferential direction L centering about the end 15 a,which functions as the fulcrum of the easy-to-tear portion 15. Thismakes it possible to tear the easy-to-tear portion 15 even moresmoothly.

In the present first embodiment, the elliptical engagement hole 24 isopened to have such a size that, for example, its minor axis is around10 to 15 mm and its major axis is around 10 to 20 mm, and as describedabove, is arranged so that its minor-axis direction Z is along thecircumferential direction L centering about the end 15 a, whichfunctions as the fulcrum of the easy-to-tear portion 15. Further, in thepresent first embodiment, the substantially oval overhanging engagementportion 23 and the elliptical engagement hole 24 of the opening tabpiece 17 are provided so that their major-axis direction Y is orientedin a direction inclined preferably at an angle of inclination θ of 5 to35 degrees with respect to a plane P2 in which the easy-to-tear portion15 is formed and that is parallel to the placing surface P1 (i.e., thatis a plane perpendicular to the central axis X of the spout-formingportion 13).

Setting the angle of inclination θ to 5 to 35 degrees allows thepulling-up load exerted upon pulling up the opening tab piece 17 to tearthe easy-to-tear portion 15 to be efficiently transmitted, as acompressive load, to a portion of the to-be-torn-off portion 16 locatedon the opposite side, with respect to the central axis X of thespout-forming portion 13, from the side toward which the overhangingengagement portion 23 projects. As a result, tearing can be initiatedfrom the end 15 b of the easy-to-tear portion 15 located on the sidetoward which the overhanging engagement portion 23 projects with respectto the central axis X of the spout-forming portion 13, while utilizing,as a fulcrum, the end 15 a of the easy-to-tear portion 15 located on theopposite side, with respect to the central axis X of the spout-formingportion 13, from the side toward which the overhanging engagementportion 23 projects. This makes it possible to tear the easy-to-tearportion 15 more smoothly, thus achieving the advantage of allowing thepulling-up load to be reduced.

The preferable range for the above-mentioned angle θ is described indetail. From the standpoint of allowing the container to be openedreliably without causing torsional tearing, it is preferable that theangle θ is 35 degrees or below, and more preferably 30 degrees or below,and even more preferably 25 degrees or below. On the other hand, fromthe standpoint of reducing the force for opening, it is preferable thatthe angle θ is 5 degrees or above, and more preferably 10 degrees orabove, and even more preferably 20 degrees or above.

According to the bag container 10 of the present first embodiment havingthe above-described structure, upon placing the ball of a finger inengagement with the engagement hole 24 provided in the opening tab piece17 of the spout-forming portion 13 and pulling the opening tab piece 17upward, the pulling-up force can be transmitted efficiently as a forcefor tearing the easy-to-tear portion 15, and thereby the operation ofopening and forming a spout can be performed easily and smoothly.

More specifically, according to the present first embodiment, theopening tab piece 17 having the preferably elliptical engagement hole 24with which the ball of a finger is to engage is provided on theto-be-torn-off portion 16, projecting on one side with respect to thecentral axis X of the spout-forming portion 13 and extending in thediametral direction along the parting line 21 of the mold for molding(i.e., in the direction of the side edge of the front portion 12A or theback portion 12B). Further, the engagement hole 24 is arranged so thatthe minor-axis direction Z of the elliptical shape is along thecircumferential direction L centering about the end 15 a, whichfunctions as the fulcrum of the easy-to-tear portion 15. Accordingly, atthe time of performing the operation of tearing the easy-to-tear portion15 by inserting a finger into the engagement hole 24 for engagementtherewith and pulling up the opening tab piece 17, the ball of thefinger will be guided naturally so that it engages, from the inner side,the circumferential edge portion 24 a in a section (24 z) of theengagement hole 24 where the circumferential edge portion 24 aintersects with the minor-axis direction Z and the curve is gentlest. Asa result, a force for pulling up the opening tab piece 17 can be easilyapplied by the ball of the finger toward the circumferential direction Lcentering about the end 15 a of the easy-to-tear portion 15 located onthe opposite side, with respect to the central axis X of thespout-forming portion 13, from the side toward which the opening tabpiece 17 projects. Thus, the pulling-up force can be transmittedefficiently to the to-be-torn-off portion 16 as a force for tearing theeasy-to-tear portion 15, and thereby the operation of opening andforming a spout can be performed easily and smoothly.

Further, in the present first embodiment, the circumferential edge ofthe opening of the engagement hole 24 is rimmed by a thick rim portion24 b. Thus, the ball of a finger can be pressed against thecircumferential edge portion 24 a in a section intersecting with theminor-axis direction Z by means of the thick rim portion 24 b, therebyallowing the force for pulling up the opening tab piece 17 to be appliedin a more stable state.

FIG. 3 illustrates a primary section of a bag container 30 according toa preferred second embodiment of the present invention. In addition tothe structure of the bag container 10 of the foregoing first embodiment,the bag container 30 of the present second embodiment includes a holdingtab piece 18, which serves as a holding tab portion, provided on theshoulder 19 of the body portion 12 adjacent to the spout-forming portion13 on the side, with respect to the central axis X of the spout-formingportion 13, toward which the opening tab piece 17 overhangs (projects)in the diametral direction along the parting line 21 of the mold formolding (i.e., in the direction of the side edge of the front portion12A or the back portion 12B), the holding tab piece 18 projecting upwardwhile being spaced apart from the spout-forming portion 13.

Further, in the present second embodiment, the holding tab piece 18 isprovided in such a manner that its central axis C is arranged parallelto or substantially parallel to the central axis X of the spout-formingportion 13, and the opening tab piece 17 and the holding tab piece 18are provided within a plane along the parting line 21 of the mold formolding. Herein, the “plane along the parting line 21” is a virtualplane including the parting line 21.

More specifically, in the present second embodiment, the holding tabpiece 18 provided adjacent to the spout-forming portion 13 on the sidetoward which the overhanging engagement portion 23 of the opening tabpiece 17 projects is a portion functioning as the holding tab portionthat is held when the easy-to-tear portion 15 is to be torn and opened.Like the opening tab piece 17, the holding tab piece 18 is providedhaving a flat plate-like shape within the plane along the parting line21 of the mold for molding. The holding tab piece 18 is provided on theshoulder 19 of the body portion 12 of the container body 11, projectingupward therefrom up to a height that does not interfere with theoverhanging engagement portion 23 of the opening tab piece 17 whilebeing spaced apart from the spout-forming portion 13 such that there isa spacing, preferably around 8 to 12 mm, from the circumferentialsurface of the spout-forming portion 13. Keeping a spacing of around 8to 12 mm between the holding tab piece 18 and the circumferentialsurface of the spout-forming portion 13 will allow, for example, themouth/neck portion of another container to be arranged in a sandwichedstate between the spout-forming portion 13 and the holding tab piece 18when the contents filled and placed inside the container body 11 are tobe poured from the spout of the spout-forming portion 13, which isformed by removing the to-be-torn-off portion 16, through the mouth/neckportion of that other container, thus allowing the contents to be pouredinto the other container in a stable state.

Further, in the present embodiment, the holding tab piece 18 is providedin such a manner that its center line C is arranged parallel to orsubstantially parallel to the central axis X of the spout-formingportion 13. Further, it is preferable that the circumferential edge ofthe holding tab piece 18 is formed as a thick rim portion 18 a, and thatthe front and back surfaces in a region within the rim portion 18 a areprovided with appropriate anti-slip means, such as by emboss processing.

The bag container 30 of the present second embodiment having theabove-described structure not only achieves the same effects as those ofthe bag container 10 of the foregoing first embodiment, but also allowsthe operation of holding and pulling upward the opening tab piece 17provided on the spout-forming portion 13 and thereby opening and forminga spout to be performed in a stable state with the bottom portion 14being pressed against the surface-to-be-placed.

More specifically, in the present second embodiment, the spout-formingportion 13 has a central axis X that is perpendicular or substantiallyperpendicular to the placing surface P1 formed by the bottom portion 14,and is provided projecting upward. Further, the opening tab piece 17 isprovided on the to-be-torn-off portion 16, projecting on one side, withrespect to the central axis X of the spout-forming portion 13, in thediametral direction along the parting line 21 of the mold for molding(i.e., in the direction of the side edge of the front portion 12A or theback portion 12B). Furthermore, the holding tab piece 18 is providedprojecting upward, while being spaced apart from the spout-formingportion 13, on the shoulder 19 of the body portion 12 adjacent to thespout-forming portion 13 on the side toward which the opening tab piece17 projects. Accordingly, at the time of holding the opening tab piece17 by placing a finger in engagement with the engagement hole 24 andpulling up the opening tab piece 17 being held while, for example, thebag container 10 is placed in an upright state on thesurface-to-be-placed, it becomes possible to easily produce a momentalforce of a considerable magnitude that opposes the momental force causedby the pulling-up load exerted by utilizing, as a fulcrum, the end 15 aof the easy-to-tear portion 15 located on the opposite side, withrespect to the central axis X of the spout-forming portion 13, from theside toward which the overhanging engagement portion 23 projects, simplyby holding the holding tab piece 18—which is located at a distance equalto or more than a distance from the fulcrum end 15 a to the point ofaction of the pulling-up load on the opening tab piece 17 (i.e., thedistance between 15 a and 24 z)—and pressing the bottom portion 14 ofthe bag container 10 against the surface-to-be-placed. This allows theeasy-to-tear portion 15 to be torn in a stable state while effectivelyopposing the momental force produced upon pulling up the opening tabpiece 17, thus allowing the bag container 30 enclosing the contents tobe opened even more easily.

Further, in the present second embodiment, the holding tab piece 18 isprovided in such a manner that its center line C is arranged parallel toor substantially parallel to the central axis X of the spout-formingportion 13. Such a structure allows the force for pressing the bottomportion 14 of the bag container 30 against the surface-to-be-placed,which is exerted by holding the holding tab piece 18, to be transmittedto the surface-to-be-placed more easily. Thus, it becomes possible tooppose the momental force produced upon pulling up the opening tab piece17 more effectively, thus allowing the easy-to-tear portion 15 to betorn in an even stabler state.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the foregoingembodiments and can be modified in various ways. For example, theopening tab portion does not necessarily have to have a substantiallyoval shape, and may have various other shapes, such as a substantiallycircular shape, a substantially elliptical shape, or a substantiallyrectangular shape. Further, the section having the circumferential edgeportion with which the ball of a finger engages does not have to be anengagement hole provided passing from front to rear through the openingtab portion, and may also be, for example, an engagement depression thatdoes not pass through the opening tab portion but is instead provided byforming the opening tab portion to have a considerable thickness.Furthermore, other than liquid agents such as shampoos and body wash,the contents enclosed in the bag container may be various other mattershaving flowability, such as gel-like matters, granular matters, andpowdery matters.

Further, the opening tab portion and the holding tab portion do notnecessarily have to be provided within a plane along the parting line ofthe mold for molding, and may deviate from the plane along the partingline to an extent that allows the effect of the present invention to beachieved. In other words, it will suffice if the opening tab portion andthe holding tab portion are provided on one side, with respect to thecentral axis X of the spout-forming portion 13, toward the side surfaceof the body portion 12. Herein, the “side surface of the body portion12” refers to the surface of the body portion that is visible when thecontainer is viewed from the side in cases where the container has aflat shape that is broad when viewed from the front or the rear andnarrow when viewed from the side (as with the container of the presentembodiment), and refers to any surface of the body portion in caseswhere the container is, for example, a cylindrical container and doesnot have a flat shape.

Further, the shape of the engagement hole or the engagement depressionwith which the ball of a finger engages while being oriented toward thecircumferential direction centering about an end of the easy-to-tearportion does not necessarily have to be elliptical, as long as itsminor-axis direction is provided along the circumferential directioncentering about the end of the easy-to-tear portion. Furthermore, asregards the shape of the engagement hole or the engagement depression,what is important is the shape of the section on the side (the side of24 z in FIG. 3), with respect to an axis passing through the end of theeasy-to-tear portion (i.e., the major axis), that is pulled up whenpulling up the tab portion, and the shape on the opposite side, withrespect to this axis, from the pulled-up side of the tab portion is notimportant. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 4( a) to 4(e), it ispossible to adopt various other shapes—such as a substantiallyhalf-finger-like shape (see FIG. 4( a)), a teardrop shape (see FIG. 4(b)) or a lemon shape (see FIG. 4( c)) in which a portion of theabove-described elliptical shape is made linear, a semicircular shape inwhich the upper half of the above-described elliptical shape is changedto a straight line that coincides with the Y direction (see FIG. 4( d)),or an oval-like shape in which a portion of each of the upper and lowersections of the above-described elliptical shape is changed to astraight line substantially parallel to the Y direction (see FIG. 4(e))—in which the section on the pulled-up side of the tab portion withrespect to the major axis passing through the end of the easy-to-tearportion substantially matches the contour of the ball of a finger and inwhich the finger is guided in such a manner that the ball of the fingerengages with the circumferential edge portion of the engagement hole orthe engagement depression while the contour of the ball of the fingerbeing oriented toward a substantially circumferential directioncentering about the end of the easy-to-tear portion. That is, it willsuffice if the shape can guide the finger in such a manner that the ballof the finger engages with the circumferential edge portion of theengagement hole or the engagement depression while being oriented towardthe circumferential direction L. In cases where the shape of theengagement hole or the engagement depression is a perfect circle, it isdifficult to efficiently transmit the pulling-up force as the tearingforce because, as described above, it is difficult to determine theoptimum direction for applying the tearing force and it is likely thatthe tab portion is pulled directly upward. However, the engagement holeor the engagement depression may be substantially circular, as long asthe problem to be solved by the present invention can be solved.Furthermore, other than liquid agents such as shampoos and body wash,the contents enclosed in the bag container may be various other mattershaving flowability, such as gel-like matters, granular matters, andpowdery matters.

Further, the bag container of the present invention does not have to bea self-standing bag.

Moreover, the opening tab portion does not necessarily have to be aring-like tab piece having an engagement hole, and for example, it maybe a plate-like tab portion having anti-slip depressions and/orprojections on its front and back surfaces. Other than having aplate-like shape, the opening tab portion and the holding tab portionmay be a projection-like or rod-like tab.

FIGS. 5( a) and 5(b) illustrate a bag container 40 according to apreferred third embodiment of the present invention. Other than having astructure substantially similar to that of the bag container 10 of theforegoing first embodiment, the bag container 40 of the present thirdembodiment has a structure in which the to-be-torn-off portion 16 isprovided with a flat-shaped dome portion 41 having a cavity inside andbeing adjacent to the easy-to-tear portion 15.

Further, an opening tab piece 17, serving as an opening tab portion, isprovided on the to-be-torn-off portion 16 projecting on one side of thespout-forming portion 13 (in the present third embodiment, on theright-hand side toward the side surface of the body portion 12 withrespect to the central axis X of the spout-forming portion 13 of FIG. 2)and is provided in a connected manner to a top surface 41 a and an outercircumference portion 41 b of the dome portion 41. The opening tab piece17 is provided integrally with the top surface 41 a and the outercircumference portion 41 b of the dome portion 41. A portion (the lowerportion) of the opening tab piece 17 is provided extending across theeasy-to-tear portion 15 toward the base portion 20 of the spout-formingportion 13, but is continuous only to the to-be-torn-off portion 16.

The opening tab piece 17 is integrally molded with the dome portion 41and the to-be-torn-off portion 16 when molding the bag container 40.Further, the opening tab piece 17 of the present embodiment is formedinto a flat plate-like shape having a surface substantially orthogonalto the plane P2 parallel to the placing surface P1, and is providedwithin the plane along the parting line 21 of the mold for molding.Herein, the “plane along the parting line 21” is a virtual planeincluding the parting line 21.

The dome portion 41 forms a part of the to-be-torn-off portion 16, andis provided in a connected manner above the base portion 20 via theeasy-to-tear portion 15. As illustrated in FIG. 7, the height T of thedome portion 41 in the projecting direction of the spout-forming portion13 is smaller than the width W1 or W2 (see FIG. 8( a)) of the domeportion 41 in a direction orthogonal to the projecting direction, andthus the dome portion 41 is formed having a flat shape.

The top surface 41 a of the dome portion 41 is formed substantiallyflat. More specifically, it is formed having a curved surface thatslightly rises upward at its central portion.

Further, the opening tab piece 17 is provided integrally on the upperface of the top surface 41 a, extending in the direction along theparting line 21 of the mold for molding (i.e., in the direction of theside edge of the front portion 12A or the back portion 12B).

As illustrated in FIG. 8( a), the dome portion 41 in the present thirdembodiment has a substantially circular plan shape, but the width W2 inthe direction toward which the opening tab piece 17 extends is slightlylarger than the width W1 in a direction orthogonal thereto.

It is preferable that the height T of the dome portion 41 in theprojecting direction of the spout-forming portion 13 is 20% to 80%, andmore preferably 25% to 50%, of the minimum width of the dome portion 41in the direction orthogonal to the projecting direction (the width W1 inthe present third embodiment).

The “minimum width in the direction orthogonal to the projectingdirection” is the smaller of the width W2 in the direction toward whichthe opening tab piece 17 extends and the width W1 in the directionorthogonal thereto. Further, it is preferable that the width W2 in thedirection toward which the opening tab piece 17 extends is 100% to 150%,and more preferably 110% to 130%, of the width W1 in the directionorthogonal thereto.

As illustrated in FIG. 8( b), within a cross section taken along a planeorthogonal to the central axis X of the spout-forming portion 13—i.e., across section taken along a plane orthogonal to the height direction ofthe dome portion 41—, both the inner and outer surfaces of the domeportion 41 are substantially circular and are similar to each other. Theinterior of the dome portion 41 is formed having a flat cavity which hassubstantially the same shape as the outer shape of the dome portion 41.The cavity of the dome portion 41 is in communication with a cavityinside the base portion of the spout-forming portion 13 via asmall-diameter section surrounded by the easy-to-tear portion 15.

The to-be-torn-off portion 16 having the dome portion 41 is arranged soas to cover the upper-end opening (spout) of the base portion 20,closing off the spout. The to-be-torn-off portion 16 having the domeportion 41, the base portion 20, and the easy-to-tear portion 15 aremolded integrally.

The opening tab piece 17 is a portion functioning as an opening tabportion for tearing open the easy-to-tear portion 15. In the presentembodiment, the opening tab piece 17 has a flat plate-like shape, andhas a joint base-end portion 22 that forms a portion joined andconnected to the dome portion 41, and an overhanging engagement portion23 that is provided projecting from the joint base-end portion 22 on oneside of the spout-forming portion 13. The overhanging engagement portion23 has a substantially oval shape whose portion overlapping with thespout-forming portion 13 has been cut away. In other words, as describedabove, a portion (the lower portion) of the opening tab piece 17 isprovided extending across the easy-to-tear portion 15 toward the baseportion 20 of the spout-forming portion 13, but the opening tab piece 17is continuous only to the to-be-torn-off portion 16.

The joint base-end portion 22 is a portion that is provided in aconnected manner along the outer surface of the dome portion 41, and aportion thereof that is continuous with the upper face of the topsurface 41 a of the dome portion 41 constitutes a connection baseportion 22 a having a cavity portion 22 b. The connection base portionis a root portion where the joint base-end portion 22 is continuous withthe upper face of the top surface 41 a, and as illustrated in FIG. 7,the width B1 of the outer circumference portion of the connection baseportion is wider than the width B2 of the opening tab piece 17 whenviewing the cross section thereof (i.e., when viewing a cross sectionformed by cutting the container along the direction of theabove-described width W1 with a plane that contains the central axis Xof the spout-forming portion). The difference between the width B2 ofthe opening tab piece 17 and the width B1 of the outer circumferenceportion of the connection base portion 22 a can be set as appropriate.In the present third embodiment, the difference B1−B2 is set to 1 to 2mm. Further, in the present third embodiment, B1 is set to 2 to 3 mm.

Providing the connection base portion 22 a having the cavity portion 22b in a section of the joint base-end portion 22 that is continuous withthe upper surface of the dome portion 41 effectively reinforces thesection provided in a connected manner to the dome portion 41 withoutmaking the connection base portion 22 a thick. This allows thepulling-up load exerted upon pulling up the opening tab piece 17 to tearthe easy-to-tear portion 15 to be efficiently transmitted, as acompressive load, to a portion of the dome portion 41 located on theopposite side, with respect to the central axis X of the spout-formingportion 13, from the side toward which the overhanging engagementportion 23 projects. As a result, tearing can be initiated from the end15 b of the easy-to-tear portion 15 located on the side toward which theoverhanging engagement portion 23 projects, while utilizing as a fulcrumthe end 15 a of the easy-to-tear portion 15 located on the oppositeside, with respect to the central axis X of the spout-forming portion13, from the side toward which the overhanging engagement portion 23projects, thus making it possible to tear the easy-to-tear portion 15more smoothly.

The reason why providing the connection base portion 22 a having thecavity portion 22 b in a section of the joint base-end portion 22 thatis continuous with the upper surface of the dome portion 41 makes itpossible to effectively reinforce the section provided in a connectedmanner to the dome portion 41, without increasing the thickness (equalto B1 described above) of the connection base portion 22 a, is becausethe above-described section is substantially U-shaped when viewing thecross section of the connection base portion 22 a as illustrated in FIG.7, and is thus provided with a high-strength structure (similar to thestructure of a C-channel steel materials). Furthermore, providing thecavity portion 22 b can also achieve the effect of providing goodmoldability using a mold, such as allowing the molding cycle to berelatively shortened.

Further, assuming that the average wall thickness of the dome portion 41is 1, the average wall thickness of the connection base portion 22 a isaround 0.8 to 2.

Since the connection base portion 22 a does not have to be made toothick, it therefore becomes possible to achieve the effect of providinggood moldability using a mold, such as allowing the molding cycle to berelatively shortened. The “wall thickness” of the connection baseportion 22 a and the dome portion 41 refers to a thickness of a wallthat separates the cavity portion 22 b or the cavity inside the domeportion 41 from the outside of the bag container 40.

In a cross section taken along a plane orthogonal to the central axis Xof the spout-forming portion 13, the cavity portion 22 b in the bagcontainer 40 of the present third embodiment has a larger dimension inthe direction along the parting line 21 than the dimension in thedirection orthogonal to the parting line 21.

The cavity portion 22 b or the cavity inside the dome portion 41 can beformed by appropriately designing the form of the mold cavity, andduring the container-molding process, sandwiching a cylindrical parisonwith a pair of the molds and blowing the same.

The overhanging engagement portion 23 is a portion provided to projectfrom the joint base-end portion 22 in such a manner as to overhang theupper area of the shoulder 19 of the container body 11, and itscircumferential edge is formed as a thick rim portion 23 a. Further, theoverhanging engagement portion 23 has an elliptical engagement hole 24opened in a portion on the tip-end side of the overhang, thecircumferential edge of the opening of the engagement hole 24 beingrimmed by a thick rim portion 24 a.

Note that in cases where the bag container 40 is to be manufacturedthrough blow molding, the hollow dome portion 41 is also a portionnecessary for forming the spout 13 a.

The bag container 40 of the present third embodiment allows theoperation of holding with the hand and pulling upward the opening tabpiece 17 provided on the spout-forming portion 13 and thereby openingand forming a spout to be performed smoothly.

More specifically, according to the present third embodiment, theto-be-torn-off portion 16 is provided with a flat-shaped dome portion 41having a cavity inside, and an opening tab piece 17 serving as anopening tab portion is provided in the above-described manner. Such aconfiguration, for example, makes the dome portion 41 less prone todeform compared to a non-flat-shaped dome portion at the time ofperforming the operation of tearing the easy-to-tear portion 15 to forman opening by placing a finger in engagement with the engagement hole 24and pulling up the opening tab piece 17. This prevents stretching of thedome portion 41 etc., thus allowing the easy-to-tear portion 15 to betorn easily and smoothly.

Further, according to the present third embodiment, liquid is less proneto accumulate inside the flat-shaped dome portion 41 of theto-be-torn-off portion 16. Accordingly, in cases where the bag container40 is to be used as a refill container for example, it is possible toprevent the contents from accumulating inside the to-be-torn-off portion16 of the spout-forming portion during the period from when the contentsare filled into the container until a consumer purchases the containerand tears the easy-to-tear portion of the spout. Thus, it becomespossible to prevent problems, such as scattering of the contents thathave accumulated inside the to-be-torn-off portion 16 onto thesurroundings upon tearing the easy-to-tear portion and opening thespout.

Furthermore, providing the connection base portion 22 a having thecavity portion 22 b in a section of the joint base-end portion 22 thatis continuous with the upper surface of the dome portion 41 allows thesection provided in a connected manner to the dome portion 41 to bereinforced effectively, without increasing the thickness (equal to B1described above) of the connection base portion 22 a.

The foregoing described the third embodiment of the present invention.The present invention, however, is not limited to the foregoing thirdembodiment and can be modified in various ways. For example, instead ofthe substantially circular shape, the shape of the dome portion asviewed from above can be a square, a rectangle, or a rhombus, eachhaving rounded corners. Further, the connection base portion 22 a havingthe cavity portion 22 b as illustrated in FIG. 7 may be formed bypressurizing and squashing a part of the hollow dome portion 41 fromboth sides such that a space is left inside.

Further, the top surface 41 a of the dome portion 41 does notnecessarily have to be formed having a curved surface that slightlyrises upward at its central portion, and may instead be flat.

Furthermore, the opening tab portion may be provided in a state where itis connected only to the top surface of the dome portion.

The difference B1-B2 between the width B2 of the opening tab piece 17and the width B1 of the outer circumference portion of the connectionbase portion 22 a may be zero.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

According to the bag container of the present invention, upon placingthe ball of a finger in engagement with the engagement hole or theengagement depression provided in the tab portion of the spout-formingportion and pulling the tab portion upward, the pulling-up force can betransmitted efficiently as a force for tearing the easy-to-tear portionand thereby the operation of opening and forming a spout can beperformed easily and smoothly.

Further, by providing the holding tab portion on the shoulder of thebody portion on the side toward which the opening tab portion projects,the operation of holding and pulling upward the tab portion provided onthe spout-forming portion and thereby opening and forming a spout can beperformed in a stable state with the bottom portion being pressedagainst the surface-to-be-placed.

Furthermore, by forming the flat-shaped dome portion having the cavityinside on the to-be-torn-off portion, providing the opening tab portionin a connected manner to the top surface of the dome portion, andforming the portion of the opening tab portion that is provided in aconnected manner to the dome portion as the connection base portionhaving a cavity portion, it becomes possible to prevent stretching ofthe to-be-torn-off portion etc. upon tearing, such as by ripping away ortearing away, the easy-to-tear portion of the spout-forming portion toform an opening, and to thus facilitate the tearing operation forforming the opening. Further, contents, such as liquid, are less proneto accumulate inside the to-be-torn-off portion.

Moreover, the bag container of the present invention provides goodmoldability using a mold, allowing the molding cycle to be relativelyshortened, for example.

1. A bag container comprising a container body shaped by using a mold,the container body being made of synthetic resin and having a bodyportion including a bottom portion and a spout-forming portion, a spoutbeing formed by tearing an easy-to-tear portion of the spout-formingportion to tear off a to-be-torn-off portion thereof, wherein: thespout-forming portion has a central axis that is perpendicular orsubstantially perpendicular to a placing surface formed by the bottomportion, and is provided projecting upward from the body portion; anopening tab portion is provided on the to-be-torn-off portion, theopening tab portion projecting on one side, with respect to the centralaxis of the spout-forming portion, toward a side surface of the bodyportion, the opening tab portion having an engagement hole or anengagement depression with which the ball of a finger is to engage; andthe engagement hole or the engagement depression has a shape that guidesthe finger in such a manner that, when the easy-to-tear portion is to betorn, the ball of the finger engages with a circumferential edge portionof the engagement hole or the engagement depression while being orientedtoward a substantially circumferential direction centering about an endof the easy-to-tear portion located on an opposite side, with respect tothe central axis, from the side toward which the opening tab portionprojects.
 2. The bag container according to claim 1, wherein the openingtab portion is provided projecting obliquely upward at an angle ofinclination of 5 to 35 degrees with respect to a plane on which theeasy-to-tear portion is formed.
 3. The bag container according to claim1, wherein the engagement hole or the engagement depression has anelliptical shape, and a direction of a minor axis of the ellipse isprovided along the circumferential direction centering about the end ofthe easy-to-tear portion.
 4. The bag container according to claim 1,wherein a holding tab portion is provided on a shoulder of the bodyportion adjacent to the spout-forming portion on the side toward whichthe opening tab portion projects, the holding tab portion projectingupward while being spaced apart from the spout-forming portion.
 5. Thebag container according to claim 4, wherein the holding tab portion isprovided in such a manner that a central axis thereof is arrangedparallel to or substantially parallel to the central axis of thespout-forming portion.
 6. The bag container according to claim 4,wherein the opening tab portion and the holding tab portion are providedwithin a plane along a parting line of the mold for the shaping.
 7. Thebag container according to claim 1, wherein: the to-be-torn-off portionis provided with a flat-shaped dome portion having a cavity inside; theopening tab portion is provided projecting on one side, with respect tothe central axis of the spout-forming portion, toward the side surfaceof the body portion and is provided in a connected manner to a topsurface of the dome portion; and a portion of the opening tab portionthat is provided in a connected manner to the top surface of the domeportion constitutes a connection base portion having a cavity portion.8. The bag container according to claim 7, wherein a height of the domeportion in a projecting direction of the spout-forming portion is 20% to80% of a minimum width of the dome portion in a direction orthogonal tothe projecting direction.
 9. The bag container according to claim 1,wherein the easy-to-tear portion has a narrow groove-like depressionformed annularly around the spout-forming portion.